Pearls of Wisdom: Deqing’s Aquaculture Legacy Gains Global Recognition
A centuries-old tradition from the Chinese mainland has just received international acclaim. On May 19, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced that the Zhejiang Deqing Freshwater Pearl Mussel Composite Fishery System, known as the Deqing Pearl System, will be added to the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) list for 2025.
This marks China’s first world-class agricultural heritage project in aquaculture. With this addition, China now boasts 25 such systems—the highest number worldwide—with six located in Zhejiang province alone.
The art of artificial freshwater pearl cultivation began in Deqing over 800 years ago during the Southern Song Dynasty. The Deqing Pearl System stands as a testament to the harmonious relationship between nature and human ingenuity. Based on the mutualistic relationship between fish and mussels, and rooted in the local technique of attached pearl farming, it has evolved into a complex ecosystem. This includes mussels, fish, plankton, benthic organisms, and aquatic plants, all working together.
In Xiaoshanyang on Fuxi Street, the system’s main protected area, clear waters host gliding fish and nestling mussels. For over 40 years, farmer Zhang Guoyong has cultivated pearls here, overseeing a farm that spans more than 2,000 acres. Dr. Yang Lun, an associate researcher at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, highlights that this symbiotic model is a prime example of resource recycling and biodiversity preservation.
FAO expert Aicha Bammoun praised the system as a model that combines agricultural wisdom with modern conservation methods, reflecting the enduring vitality of Chinese agricultural civilization.
In recent years, Deqing has been promoting the “pearl+” industry-chain integration model. While pearls have traditionally been worn as decorations, they now find uses in beauty products, healthcare, and cultural tourism, following an “industry and academic research tourism” approach. Deqing’s deep-processing industry currently generates an annual output of over 7 billion yuan (approximately 971 million US dollars), accounting for about one-tenth of the national total and providing employment for nearly 20,000 people.
The late 1970s saw systematic research begin in Deqing into the origins of freshwater pearl farming. After more than 30 years of academic research and field surveys, scholars produced significant works like the “Proof of the Origin of Large-scale Cultivation of Artificial Pearls in Ancient China.” In June 2017, the system was officially recognized as an Important Agricultural Cultural Heritage by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. By September of the same year, Deqing launched its application for GIAHS, entering the Preparatory List in 2019. After an on-site assessment by FAO experts in April this year, its inclusion was finally confirmed.
“As China’s first GIAHS project in aquaculture, the Deqing Pearl System builds a new bridge for traditional Chinese agricultural wisdom to reach the global stage and holds exemplary significance,” said Min Qingwen, head of the expert committee on GIAHS under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. He emphasized that the successful application is just the beginning, and that Deqing will continue to explore pearl culture and expand its global influence.
